Smyrna times., 1887-10-19
THE WAR IN DIXIE.
A CONFEDERATE COLONEL GIVES
SOME WAR TIME EXPERIENCES.


a Burnt Offering of Surplus Baggage.
Novel Methods of Preparing a Dinner.
A Primitive Spring Bed-An Icy Couch.
A Professionalism.
In the spring of 1862 our patres con-
script had evidently become convinced
that the contest was likely to be both seri-
GUS ana long, and volunteers for three
years or the war were called for. Soon
AFTER this was at COrinth, Miss. as can
tam tam OF company in the Thirty-eighth
mississippi regiment. Ihad provided nv
sen with an ample supply of bedding, in
C4uOlng mattress, and took along trunk
containing some elegant citizens clothing
IOr dress or social occasions. One day our
quartermaster requested US to send all
baggage to the depot for convenience Of
transportation in case of retreat y This
was thoughtful Of him and felt grateful.
but not for long. In 9 few hours il trans-
pred that our luggage was not to be
checked through, but was to be burned.
IL began to dawn upon me that / had been
somewhat stupid in my military prepara-
uOns, but when l rushed off to the depot
ana found several acres Of similar impede
ments piled up for burnt Offering / felt
somewhat relieved. 1t was clear that nv
ears were no longer than my neighbors'.
That night COrinth was evacuated. The
measles, a disease very fatal to soldiers
had already appeared in camp and the ex-
posture OF this retreat resulted in the death
OF htty-nine men in my company of 100.
The regiment had been hurried to the
front before submitting to the hardening
process of camp of instruction, through
the ambitious vanity Of its colonel, who
was in haste to win brigadier's wreath,
1t occasioned no surprise that the lean
Jack Falstah ran away from our first
serious fight at Iuka and we saw him no
more. On this retreat feat was per-
| formed in q culinary way that could not
be eXcelled. Being separated from our
trains and having little knowledge of the
need of being always prepared for sudden
movements, there was neither pot nor pan
to be found in the company.
In spite of these minor difficulties ]
dined one day, by invitation, and, as I
thought at the time, luXuriOusly, off of
hot loaf bread and butter and brOiled
tenderlOin steak Dinner was Drepared
in this way: A pit was dug some twenty
inches square and one foot deep with d
shoulder half ways down. In this pit dry
oak twigs were burned to embers. a
clean handkerchief well Toured answered
for tray and the loaf, when kneaded
was placed in the pit. This was covered
with bark and earth and the oven was
perfect and complete. When the breaC
was done other sticks were made to d,
duty as q griddle, and with the help of
few necessities obtained from u farm
house the steak was broiled and seasone,
to turn.
A PRIMITIVE SPRING BED.
After the burnt offering mentione
trunks and mattresses disappeared and
most generally, tents were an unknow
luxury to the private soldier in the field
| Here again necessity spurred on inventio
and a sort of liliputian tent was the rt
suit Four stakes about two feet Ions
, with forks for cross pieces, were driven i
the ground. On these a platform wa
; made by laying poles lengthWise, thu
! making a spring bed of no mean prefer
, sions. About three feet above this was
E ridge pole, across which q rubber
! wooden blanket was stretched tent fasl
ion. A blanket laid on the platform, an
D another for covering formed the temp
I rary couch of two men. They entered @
s all fOurs at the end, as a rat enters h
4 hole, but, unlike the rat, they did N
: turn round to come out. This pretentioI
style of housekeeping was only resortC
to in wet weather. Strict economy in Il
matter of labor was the rule among sc
diers, and the earth for a couch and Il
sky for a covering sufficed in most case
> never knew one of these platforms ma
to avoid sleeping on the frozen groun
: The soldier would spread his blanket al
lie down until his undeFside fraterniz
with the ice, when he would grOwl al
t, turn over and freeze the other side VIII
:. the first thawed out, and so on thTOuj
the night.
Iwell remember one fellow, fine s.
l. der, too, who scOrned the burden of ev
h a blanket on the march, and so at nigl
when he failed to steal one (which W
I seldom, he sat up by fire and ma
- night hideous with mock sermons Of We
u derful theology and doubtful moralit
u Strange to say, he survived the war, a
h is now enlisted in the army of the LOl
:. | AT Vicksburg this same preacher was
- | spOnsible for a ready retOrt under tryi
y circumstances. He was then a firm q
y whist, and was always ready to do bat
in defense of his creed. One day he v
e. sitting, with a group, in an angle Of I
,e works, discussing his favOrite dogma
7 predestinatiOn. Just then a shell expl
il ed and knocked the professionalism o
- without hurting him. When he rec
= cred his breath and legs he darted off
y the shelter Of a traverse just in front
II US. His antagonist yeAed at and twit
." him with his want Of faith in his own d
. trine He did not pause in the order
>, his going, but suffered back: ''Ca-
z, can't stop; it's pre-pre-pre-destined thi
e. must get on the other side of the
d. traverser and he fulfilled the decree
the letter and with cOmmendable alaer
he Ext Confederate Col. J. II. Jones
tn Philadelphia Times.